Last year, skiing legend Lindsey Vonn caused a stir in the sporting world.
Five years after calling time on a glittering 18-year career – and “with no intention of coming back” to skiing – the former champion made a surprise announcement. She was ready to compete again.
But that wasn’t the only remarkable thing about Vonn’s news. The 40-year-old American’s unlikely comeback – which she now hopes will culminate at the 2026 Olympics – comes just months after she had a partial knee replacement.
Within the skiing community, Vonn’s return provoked mixed opinions. While most found it hugely inspiring, some wondered if she was taking too great a risk. She rejects that: “I’ve talked to the best doctors in the world, and they’ve cleared me to do this,” she said last year. “I wouldn’t be doing it if it was a reckless idea.”
All the same, Vonn’s return raises an interesting question for regular patients. Is it OK to put your body on the line in competitive sport – or indeed on the ski slopes – after a knee replacement? Let’s look at Vonn’s story in more detail…
Who is Lindsey Vonn?
Vonn is an American alpine ski racer, widely regarded as one of the greatest skiers in history. Before her initial retirement in 2019, she had won 82 World Cup races, making her one of the most successful female athletes in the sport. She excelled in downhill, claiming multiple Olympic and World Championship medals.
Why did Lindsey Vonn need a knee replacement?
Like most pro skiers, Vonn had suffered her share of accidents. In 2013 she tore her ACL, the first of several painful injuries that led to multiple knee operations. “I got to the point where it was too much, and my knee could not handle doing the things I love to do,” she explained last year. Eventually, in discussion with her long-term doctor, she decided to have a knee replacement.
What operation did she have?
Vonn had a “Mako Robot-assisted lateral unicompartmental replacement”: in other words, a partial knee replacement on the outside of her knee, performed with robotic-arm assisted surgery. This may sound surprising, since she was suffering from severe tri-compartmental osteoarthritis (cartilage damage across her whole knee). But because the wear was worst on the outer side, her surgeon felt it would be worth focusing the repair on that part of her knee.
How did she get on?
Better than she thought possible. Vonn had the operation last April. Just 10 weeks later, she was back on the skis – this time without pain. “I’m skiing without thinking about my knee, which I really haven’t done since I first tore my ACL,” she said in December, after making her official race return in St Moritz, Switzerland. “I’m a little bit older but, honestly, I’m a hell of a lot stronger than I once was.” Vonn finished 14th – also remarkable, given that it was six years since she last raced.
What happened next?
Vonn had a setback in January after she fell during a race in Germany. Happily, though, she seems to be in good shape. “Some amazing races and some mistakes were made but, overall, I’m extremely happy with my skiing,” she wrote on her Instagram at the end of the month. “Now it’s time for a break so I can recharge and be ready for the World Championships in a few days!”
To ski or not to ski (after a knee replacement)?
What can we make of Vonn’s experience? Here are a few takeaways:
Fitness makes a big difference – Muscle strength around the knee (hamstrings, quads etc), and your general fitness, are key when it comes to recovery, and protecting the joint. Most of us aren’t elite athletes like Vonn, so we need to be cautious about assuming we’d have the same recovery journey
It’s important to know the risks – Like bones, joint replacements aren’t indestructible. The big risk in skiing is a bad fall, which could fracture or loosen the implant. But incremental wear is an issue too; potentially, it could accelerate the need for more surgery or a new implant (revision knee replacement)
The arthritis is still there – As Vonn has said herself, she still has osteoarthritis in other parts of her knee, and that isn’t going to go away. While exercise is great, putting the knee under extreme stress carries the risk, potentially, of leading to cartilage damage elsewhere
It’s positive news for partial knee replacements – These caveats aside, Vonn’s comeback shows how effective knee replacement surgery can potentially be – particularly for patients with lateral (outer knee) damage. And part of that may also be down to the super-precise positioning that’s possible with the robot-assisted procedure. Lateral replacement surgery is more complex than the more common medial (inside knee) operation. But we’ve been seeing some great results with them here in the clinic, and Vonn’s experience seems to corroborate that.
So… is skiing compatible with knee replacement? Potentially. But it’s a risk-reward situation that every patient needs to weigh up carefully. After all, as Vonn herself points out, our bodies aren’t identical: “Not everyone responds the same way to surgeries. For some reason, I bounce back pretty well from surgery.”
But it will certainly be interesting to see Vonn’s progress over the next few months. And, indeed, whether her procedure will become more common in elite sport.
“I’ve talked to a lot of skiers already about it,” she says. “I think it’s something to seriously consider for athletes that have a lot of knee problems.”
In early February 2025, Vonn competed in the downhill at the Alpine Ski World Championships and placed 15th. “I did exactly what I came here to do,” she told reporters afterwards. “That was the biggest goal for me, to bring myself to the right place mentally, have that clarity and have that precision.” She is still on track for the Winter Olympics in 2026.
More on skiing, knee replacements and robot-assisted surgery
Can I ski after a knee replacement?
Is it bad to ski with arthritis?
Why robotic surgery can be a good option for partial knee replacements
